November 2, 2022 • 50 mins
In this episode Greg is joined by Christian Haynes, also known as “Thee BlackBadger,” former defensive back for UNC Charlotte and full time content creator. The pair discuss the transition from athlete to content creator (12:34), handling negative comments online (17:58) and how he leveraged his content into a career (24:36).
Greg also answers listener questions (43:02).
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Just think, man, it all started because you did a video on
(00:02):
taking the garbage out exactly. What's up everybody welcome back
to another episode here on. You think presented by Audio
Rama and our friends at body armor big day the day that I am
sitting here recording this We are getting ready for the city
(00:25):
championship in our Pop Warner football.
It's a huge day. We've been working on this since
got late, June early July, It's Been a Good Year, the kids have
gotten ton better, we had a lot of kids who had never even
played football before. So in that regard it's been a
huge success and tonight's the night, it's really cool.
The way they set it up. We're going to play at 7:00
(00:46):
under the lights at this place. Uptown Charlotte called Memorial
Stadium. It's a refurbished older stadium
that they To hold Major League lacrosse games.
They hold like big showcase highschool games at to start and end
each year. So it's a really cool facility.
Really cool venue have been there Bunch.
So we are going to be under the lights and I think the kids will
(01:10):
be a little amped up early. But we got a settlement.
We got to get ready and I'll tell you what I'm fired up.
I have to be honest, I've been thinking about this game now for
like 10 days. So fired up.
I will let you guys know how it goes on our next show, but just
be thinking of the South Charlotte Patriots, tonight,
(01:31):
big, big Showdown, verse the palPanther.
So we'll let you guys know how that goes today.
We have a really good show. Today's guest is Christian
Haynes, play football, do University of North Carolina in
Charlotte has an unbelievable online.
Social media presence. He's known as the black Badger
full-time content creator. He's been on SportsCenter bet.
(01:54):
The shade room MTV over 2 million subscribers on YouTube,
almost 2 million subscribers on Tick-Tock, which is wild.
So, it was really cool to talk to him, not only about his
transition from a college athlete and football player to a
full-time content creator. But just to get someone's
perspective of what life is likewhen you live full time on the
(02:16):
internet and your entire Life and presence is on social media,
The Good, The Bad, what he has seen.
As far as kids being able to leverage social media to improve
recruiting or awareness, scouting or whatever the case
may be. So it was a really fun
conversation. Great kid, what an unbelievable
personality. Super funny.
Super creative really enjoyed hanging out with him.
(02:37):
So hope you guys enjoy my conversation with Christian.
As you guys know, our show, sponsor body armor, not only
fuels this show but fuels all ofour youth sports.
Here in the local Charlotte area.
There's a lot of choices for Sidelines, Sports drinks, our
family's personal favorite is orange, mango, strawberry
banana. You guys have heard me say that
(02:57):
a lot. Whether we're on our way to the
field. The gym, practice game summer,
doesn't matter. My kids.
Hey, Dad. We have any body armor if not.
We stopped at the gas station, we stop at the grocery store and
get some body armors. They love it, all the kids in
our team, love it, and it's justalways been the case.
It's what they want. It's what they choose.
And we're happy to provide a foreign body armor is made.
(03:17):
Made with coconut water, B vitamins.
No artificial sweeteners and formore information, you can go to
drink body armor.com. So now please enjoy this
conversation with the black Badger Christian Haynes.
Christian man were pumped to have you guy right in our own
backyard and looking forward to chat with you.
(03:38):
Thanks for joining us on. You think?
Yeah, no problem, man. I'm excited.
I'm very excited. I haven't been on a podcast in
the wild so we too busy. You're too busy, making making
videos. I I've actually watched, I've
actually watched a bunch of yourvideos and dude, you're funny
like what, just where did it allcome from like, we're you always
the guy on the team, I've had a million teammates where you just
(04:01):
know like, all right, that's theguy, he's always.
And have something to say zones mean.
Fuck, was that always you from the time?
You can remember when you were young oh yeah. 100% of a lot of
it started just from just being young and like Elementary School
just being that class clown kindof guy.
But I was also about my grade soI wasn't like getting in
(04:21):
trouble. Nothing but I was funny when I
could be funny but also my dad Ithink a lot of his silliness and
funny ways has rubbed off on me and it's almost like, I'm almost
like a replica. Of him.
So I was just always that guy. But especially like when I
walked on the Charlotte and got really comfortable around the
guys, like it, when we are in that locker room, I'm always
(04:43):
like doing something like, acting out movie scenes or doing
something. Just make everyone laugh.
So it's kind of like in My DNA just to make people laugh.
Like one thing about me people is like they don't never know
when I'm serious because I'm always playing around but I just
always been like that. Yeah, well so take us back you
mentioned you know? This is kind of been your
personality. You mentioned your dad.
(05:05):
Give us a leidy. Obviously here and you think we
do? We tackle all aspects of the
Youth Sports. Seen what these young kids are
growing up, the environment, they're growing up in especially
with social media and we're going to, we're going to dive
into the social media transitionthat you made a few years back
into a full-time content creator.
But just tell us a little bit about growing up.
You mentioned you walked on and played at UNC Charlotte right
(05:25):
here. The 49ers eventually earned a
scholarship just what was your Youth Sports Experience?
Like you know growing up and what sports?
Were you exposed to what sports did you gravitate towards of
course football being what? You pursued in college?
Yeah, so starting when I was younger.
So my first sport ever played was tackle football and do flag
football. We went right into tackle and my
(05:47):
dad was actually my coach, but Ihave about, I have six brothers,
and three of them all went to goplay D1 football.
So it's kind of like football was just always in our family.
So I kind of want to like go andFootsteps, basically, so I
played football, literally, I played on a military base or the
(06:10):
actually, the 49ers, which is pretty ironic, because you go
the Charlotte 49ers. Yeah, I played little league and
then it's crazy. I went to middle school and that
was a time where like I was all good and middle, like, we're
playing little league. But when I got the Middle
School, like I didn't play at all.
So that was one thing. That motivated me going into
(06:31):
High School, Because that's whenI first started learning about
training and then I was just training daily.
All through high school, end up being all Conference in high
school. But sadly, you know, I didn't
get a scholarship maybe mainly due to like, you know, smaller
school and then I wasn't the biggest guy.
But after high school, I ended up walking onto actually,
(06:53):
Elizabeth City and, which is a D2 school and after that, that's
when I got the Charlotte, And then play ball from there.
So yeah, I actually walked on the two schools.
Look at that. I love a man and it all worked
out. You got your scholarship at
Charlotte it all worked out, take you mentioned yet.
There were six of you guys in three of them went on to play.
(07:15):
What did your father play? Like what what do you attribute?
The success that you and your brothers had like all the guys
going on to play football in college.
Like was it because of your dad's coaching?
Was it his background? Was it?
What you were exposed to? Just what do you think?
Is the reason why? So many of You had success to
move on 100% my dad, for real, my dad played football, he's
(07:38):
from Miami, so he played football in high school there
and I think he played cornerback.
So he tells me how like he has like ten interceptions when I'm
going to go to know, in high school.
You went to I thinking with them, man, it's crazy.
I literally know it answer. I was just curious.
There's some good bottom there. There's some good.
(08:00):
Did he go to a School or privateschool.
Yeah, he did, he did, he went tothe same High School Chad
Johnson went to. Yeah, there's so many there's so
many good Public Schools down there.
I mean you Miami Central and Columbus and there's a million
of them. Yeah, but yeah, it's a lot.
But yeah, so he played there in high school and then he didn't
(08:21):
want to play college ball or like he wanted to play college
ball yet a chance to but he wasn't really focused on school
as much, so that's when you wentto the military and then you
actually Play football in the military as well and then, you
know, a lot of his friends like we went back to Miami and they'd
be like oh man your dad was bad.You know how well your dad was
(08:42):
good and stuff like that, so he'll tell me the stories but
you know, when someone else tells you then his is different.
But yeah, my dad was really the main motivation for us all
playing ball and he, I know he coached me and my older brother
since we are like in Little League and then he coached my
youngest brother, To in Little League football.
(09:03):
So my little brother, he loved football.
If it's a high school and he waslike, God, I'm good.
What was his style was? He hard was the old school.
Was he like what was his style? Well, definitely strict an old
school. Yeah.
You know using a marine say okayI should say is every military
(09:23):
background. Exactly.
So it was like, everything was strict in order, but one thing I
did like when I play football, was that With my dad and when he
was my coach, I was able to callhim dad.
You know, sometimes it's like, oh, when I'm on the field, I'm
your coach. But I always said, Dad and he
had no problem with it, and I always, really, really like
that. Yeah, that's my dad was my high
(09:44):
school football coach to, for meand my brother.
So we used to call him dad. I I never could muster up
calling my dad coach, it just, it never felt right.
If other people didn't like it, that was tough.
So explain, you know, at what point was, you know, Social
media, you know, you kind of grew up in that era like at what
point was social media. Did it just enter into your
(10:06):
life, just for entertainment, fun.
Like what are your earliest memories as a young kid growing
up where you started to get thatitch to just kind of live and
kind of partake in that social media experiment you know
Twitter and then Instagram now more recently with Tick-Tock and
stuff. But how far does it go back?
Man. So I was watching this crazy.
I was watching YouTube skips, like in fifth grade when it was
(10:29):
kind of, like, I don't know. People are getting paid on it
then but I was watching YouTube's kids way back then and
just watching random stuff up there.
And as time went on, you know, Snapchat became a thing in high
school. So in high school, I would make
skits for Snapchat and people would see it on Snapchat, maybe
like, you know, you're like funny, like you should do
(10:51):
YouTube and stuff. I'm like, no, I'm To go, B. 1i
am worried about all that skit stuff.
I'm trying to get a scholarship.So as time goes on, when I get
to Charlotte I'm still doing skits.
But it's like for myself on Snapchat, I wasn't posting it
because I didn't I didn't think anyone cared and then eventually
(11:12):
I had a lot of people hit me up like yo you need to like, do you
to and stuff like that. He's actually one of my my exits
older sister that she would always post.
Tell me to do you YouTube and I was just like, yeah, maybe she's
like you like really entertaining.
You need to YouTube. So I did it my senior year of
college. I want to say, yeah, going into
(11:34):
my senior year of college at Charlotte.
I started YouTube page just to do it.
I was like, interviewing people and just doing it like that and
then eventually we got in seasonand I didn't want to like I was
focused on the season but then the pandemic hit and that's
where everything changed becauseI was bored.
I was in the house. I just got a technically laid
off my job. Because I was working at the gym
(11:56):
and then nothing was open. So I came back home to
Jacksonville. North Carolina was chilling.
People's on Tick-Tock. I was like, I might as well just
make something I made one skit about how it feels.
When you go take the garbage outand how someone's like, it feels
like someone's chasing you and then that thing blew up like
crazy. And my boy Ben DeLuca that play
(12:17):
with me at Charlotte. He was just like, yo, just keep
going. And I was like, I ain't, I mean,
I'm bored. So, I might as well and things
just took off and I'm having an interview with you now.
So tell me a little bit about somuch.
Of what we talk about here is, is kids preparing that sports
sports is an experience, right? So as a young kid, you grow up
Sports as your whole life, you grow up, you know, playing ball
(12:40):
whatnot, you eventually get to college, but then there's always
that pivot and it happens at different times for different
kids. Sometimes it's After High
School, Sometimes, some kids arefortunate to go to college, but
there's always that pivot, there's always a day where the,
what you've done your whole lifeand Sports ends and you need to
make that transition into something new.
So think back. So with pandemic, you'd always
(13:02):
kind of toyed with. It was always kind of secondary.
When you finally said, you know what I'm going, I'm going all
in, I'm going to be a content creator.
There's money to be made. I have a, I have a gift, I've
known for a long time. I like to entertain and make
people laugh, like, what was that pivot point in that
process? Like, looking back, when you had
to just say, hey I'm going all into something.
Is it scary? Is it exciting?
(13:23):
Is it It knew like what when youthink back to that, like what,
what do you remember? I just remember.
So one thing about me, a lot of how I move now is Du tout,
football was like how I reacted in football.
So one thing I have about my mentality is always being
consistent. And what I do, I've learned that
(13:45):
from football new, if I work consistently higher, I was going
to get better as a football player.
So now, I'm in a place where I'mgifted with something and now If
I continue to give by consistently work at it, I'm
just going to get better at it. So when I posted that first
video and it went viral, I was just like well I mean this is
fun. I didn't I didn't know anything
(14:06):
about no money involved. It.
I just thought it was funny. I was making people laugh.
So I was like, okay, I'm going to just do this.
So automatically, since from football, I was consistently
making videos every single day like every day, like it wasn't
like a chore or not. It was just fun to me.
So once I start doing that was Like, yo, I'm about to just keep
doing this, but then someone hitme up was like, hey, do you want
(14:29):
to do this ad for $80? It was like, 80 dollars.
That's a lot of money for it. So once I've noticed there was
like when's or money that comes with this, then I was like all
right let me let me really see what's what this is about.
So I kept doing that eventually.People from Tick Tock hit me up
for the partner with Pizza Hut and stuff like that.
(14:49):
So it was really like when When I first really got that $80, I
was like, okay this is could be like something serious.
So yeah, so for just humor me for a second, us old guys who
don't really understand, I mean,I'm on Instagram but like my
kids have Tick-Tock so they findout everything they know Dad.
Did you know that? I'm like, how weird you hear
(15:10):
that? I heard it on Tick Tock you
know, so I kind of roll my eyes like I'm now that old guy so
just assumed everyone listening to this is an old guy who
doesn't understand or old girl Iguess how does the idea of being
a full-time? All time content creator on
Tick-Tock on Instagram making videos on YouTube.
Like, we're how do you make a living, right?
You mentioned you work with Pizza Hut?
(15:30):
There's ads. But then like just explain all
the different ways that people like yourself, make a living
from being super funny and making entertaining videos on
the internet. Yeah, so just to start from I'ma
just tell you from my journey. Yeah, so first it was Tick-Tock.
So you're just one of the thingsthat makes me Marketable is that
(15:54):
I make funny clean. Relatable content that if your
kid saw my skit, he would go to you and show you and y'all both
laugh. It's not like, oh, you don't
need to be watching that. So I knew when I'm not a bit
cursor anyway, as a myself, but I knew that ok, I need to make
relatable content because this is what people are liking.
(16:14):
So once I kept doing that, I noticed the Brand's kept coming
in as in Pizza Hut I think orbit.
This is like These are big companies that are coming at me
early and they're, they're giving me like they start
talking thousands of dollars that I'm just like for fixing
second a minute video. So it's like now things are
changing so that became a norm for me.
(16:37):
So though the brands were coming, that's not as it can, it
can be like, you can have some months that are faster.
Some that are good, are some in months that are slow.
So that's when I started to transition and go to YouTube and
YouTube is the thing. It changed everything for me
because I brought my content from Tick Tock.
It just brought it to YouTube and YouTube.
(16:59):
Shorts is pretty big, which got me from.
I want to say, like, 1000 subs, two million in eight months.
Wow. And then after that, I start
making longer videos and that's when you can put the ads in
between and then your Revenue shoots up from there.
So I would say, definitely the brands are the big thing with
when it comes to Tick Tock but YouTube ad Revenue, that's my
(17:22):
Biggest stream of income. And that's how I really make a
living and then you get sponsorships within YouTube as
well as they see you grow. So, it's not, it's like, it's
not too complicated, but it's like it's crazy how stuff.
Like, I literally if people justsay I'm a comedy skit to make
you pay for them. They look at me crazy, but
(17:44):
that's just what it is. Hey, man, only in America, dude,
do you man? That's so, so now, I'm just a
mask. Like, there's always the the
yeah. The end is always the good and a
always comes with little bit of bad when you live your life on
the internet and obviously, you're putting yourself out
there. You're entertaining people.
Some people. I'm sure love every video.
I'm sure some people don't love every video, right?
(18:05):
There's always feedback the internet.
Sometimes has the worst humans on the planet that live there.
That's something that these young kids now, are growing up
and I even can see it in little glimpses with my young kids wear
that. How many likes did you get, Dad?
What did the comments say? Like they're so worried about
the feedback from strangers likeas someone who lives in that
(18:26):
world every single day and I'm sure you get great feedback and
I'm sure there's some - because let's be honest, it's the
internet, how do you deal with it?
And at the same time like what would be your message to other
young kids that are listening tothis?
Who also, you know, are putting their life out there.
Are putting videos trying to getrecruited and have to deal with
negative feedback on the internet.
(18:47):
Maybe at a, you know, middle school, high school at a young
age, the best thing with me cuz I get it all the time.
It's like I feel like Regardlessof what you do in life,
someone's going to always have something to say it don't
matter. You could be feeding every
homeless person in the world, and sewing going to have
(19:07):
something negative to say. All you got to do is just
worried about what you want to do and how you can make a
positive impact on others. I, you really just gotta ignore
the outside noise because a lot of those times when you're doing
something good, those people that are hating on you or Sansa
and crazy, they want to do what you're doing and they, they can
hit jealous, you know? So really just Stay in your lane
(19:30):
stay focused and don't let that negativity get to you because
I'm not gonna lie, I'm human. You know, I've been in
situations where someone's comment and you know I would say
something slick, nothing crazy but I would say something slick
to be funny because they don't expect me to say anything.
But for the most part, I ignore it all because it I mean it is
what it is. People are always going to have
something to say regardless of what you do.
(19:50):
So you just got to stay focused in your lane and keep doing what
you're doing because it's like it's always a small percentage
of the way. They're hating over the all the
other people that love which youdo so and it can it can get you
kind of off track sometimes, butyou guys stay focused.
It's something I say to my kids.All the time is you got to know
(20:10):
whose opinion matters, right? We don't want to block
everybody's opinion out because then you're closing your ears
and your and you're not being open to feedback and honesty and
truthfulness. So you don't want to live your
life that way either, whose opinion, do you care about?
Like when you get feedback on your videos or you get feedback
on on different You're differentideas that you might have.
Like do you have a little circleand your family is you have a
(20:33):
close group of friends, like other people whose opinion that
they can call you and say, hey man, that's not funny.
That's really good. Do more of that, and you won't
take it personal, but like thesepeople's opinions matter to you
like, who are those people? Oh, definitely.
I definitely have a group. So small, though, I don't like
go out till everyone but definitely my my girlfriend's
(20:53):
one of them for sure. Because I just let her to keep
her. You gotta keep her head.
You gotta keep your heavily. My boy looked on from high
school. We went to school together and
he's super funny. Do like weird.
Such are like on the same mindset when it comes to
funniness. It's always like if I'm unsure
about certain, I sent it to him,make sure if he thinks his party
(21:15):
of this party, that I'm good to go.
And usually my boy Darrell. He's also another successful
YouTuber and content creator. And I like, sending up those are
main three, like, people that I send stuff to And sometimes I
showed my parents age of anything I post.
They laugh. So that's why I just I go to
them sometimes but anything I post may think it's funny most
(21:36):
likely. But yeah.
Usually my girlfriend with or onand my boy Darryl that I usually
show them my stuff. This just to make sure if I'm on
my knees if I think it's funny or not.
So so tell us a little bit aboutyour creative process.
So and when you're thinking about, you know, making new
skits, obviously I've been on your page, I've watched a lot of
your videos. I you have, you have certain
(21:57):
common Um, certain ones that arekind of one-offs like, what does
the creative process look like to you, from the moment, you
have an idea or concept to its actually posted and, and put up
on all your channels. So, honestly, I get in the
shower, it's like, I'm the one. It's so crazy people.
Ask is all the time, too. So I'm just like, I really just
(22:20):
be chilling. Sometimes in like, ideas, just
come to mind or like, I'll be ina situation where something
funny to happen. And I just play man, that would
be a funny skit. So like honestly like the skit
will come to mind and then I'll go on my notes which I have like
notes and notes of Skips that I still haven't done to this day
and then I put like, put it downjust to remind me.
(22:43):
So I'll be like, okay next week I'm gonna do this.
So I like set up my schedule as and I'll do like two or three
reels a week. Have the idea.
Usually use the green screen or Mylene ring lights, and then
just shoot it. But But other than that, when it
comes to, like, coming up with ideas, I'm telling you, I just
be chillin, I Don't Force It. The only time I got a force
(23:04):
ideas when I have to do a brand and I got to be like, okay, let
me see how I can put the brand in this funny skit and make it a
marketable and everything like that.
But other than that, when it comes to the stuff on my page,
it's like there's a lot of his stuff I experienced or is just
funny ideas that come in by mine.
I'll be like yeah, this would befunny.
So I'm gonna just do it when they put you on the spot though
(23:25):
and they're like, hey, here's a couple bucks, goby.
You're like, I think that I think that scene from Wedding
Crashers, where like that littlekid wants Vince Vaughn to make
them a bite he's like make me a bicycle clown.
It's like what am I here to hide?
And I always think of that like every time with someone like hey
just be funny like you ever get annoyed you ever get tired of
everyone just saying like hey man Christian just just be funny
(23:46):
man. Just like you're at a party.
You're out with some buddies. I gave her like yeah.
Is I'm sure that gets annoying when you're the funny guy.
Everyone thinks you always got to be the funny guy.
No. Yeah, that's true.
It's funny. I went to go speak to his one
high school and some kale. He's like, so, you're funny.
Tell a joke. What you mean?
I mean, it would naturally come out, but I'm not about to stand
(24:08):
up or something that's great. So, may I ask another thing
again because you live in this space every single day.
We see so many kids right now, especially on Instagram, they're
posting highlight videos to YouTube.
We've kind of created this like highlight reel culture, it's how
kids are getting recruited, it'show kids are making showcase
teams. And Case camps.
(24:29):
Like what are you seeing out there?
Let's start with the positives. Like what are you seeing out
there right now? That young kids, just having a
knack for understanding social media and how to use it, to
their advantage. What do you see, young, you
know, middle school, high schoolkids doing through social media
especially in the sports world. That's really allowed them to be
seen by more people. Maybe get scholarships get on
(24:51):
college campuses. I got what are you?
What are you seeing as someone who lives in that every day?
So personally me, I know, like because I graduated high school
in 2015. So social media was big like
Twitter. I just got on Twitter around
that time, but now that it's involved so much, I'm seeing
kids post their highlights like going Tick-Tock Instagram now
(25:15):
and a big thing, like, on Twitter, when a coach post
something like all you see in the Commons is huddle.
I like links now. Yep, and I'm like, yo, this is
like we were I don't at least. Armand, time.
I don't remember doing that because I made a Twitter for
recruiting, but I didn't know, like to comment on coaches
stuff. But that's all I see.
Now is, like, they're trying to get the exposure and I mean, I
(25:37):
don't blame them because that's what, if you want to get
noticed, you gotta do what you gotta do.
So that's one of the things, like I feel like these, like
they're persistent, you know, they're, they're looking at
other ways, they're finding other ways and they have the
internet to figure out new ways to get noticed.
So that's one thing is like being under coaches.
Post and just commenting and DM in them and just not being
(25:59):
afraid. Like, I was emailing back when I
was in high school trying to email coaches, not even using
social media but everyone's on social media now.
So that's one. Thing about kids today, they'll
be persistent with that. Well, I want up here, when I was
coming out the way you got coaches to see, is your coach
would make like a VHS. You even know what a VHS tape
is. Yeah, never seen a VHS tape but
(26:24):
you know, so no we didn't even have Digital.
Like there was no like digital way to have our games.
They were on like VHS tapes, andthen you'd sit there with the
Dual vcr and my dad would sit there and hit you.
No cop, you know, record stop play and he would splice up the
reels and then you'd pack it you'd make a million copies and
you package them and you drop ship them to coaches around the
country, hope they got it. Hope they put it into their vcr
(26:47):
and watch the film. Like when I was coming out, that
was the only way. So it's so funny because I
noticed that too. I follow a bunch of different
college coaches guys that I've worked with, guys that I just
know. No or fans of and it's so true.
They could post like hey excitedfor spring ball, you know, come
on out wherever and then you're right.
If you click on that and you to see all the comments, it's just
(27:08):
a high school, kid parent of a high school kid, high school
kid, and it's just hot. For anyone who doesn't know
huddle is like an online like cloud in essence, like a cloud
service online that you can likeupload highlights and plays and
games. And then it's as simple as a
coach just clicking on the link and they can watch your Watch
your video from their phone so it's just funny your you
(27:29):
emailed. I drop ship VCR files cassettes
and now kids can literally just from their phone send Daddy you
know send it to Yammer comment on an inch on a Twitter post and
any coach in the country can watch their highlight film.
It's just to me. The whole thing is just so
bizarre. Yeah times man is changed for
All Our Generations. Yeah.
(27:51):
Yeah. What?
What? Pitfalls now again let's let's
flip it on its head. We got middle school kids?
We got especially high school kids.
Every play they've ever made is now on social media.
They've opened this whole door where it's hey I make them.
I'm putting myself out there because I want all the good.
Well, as we know sometimes with the good comes the bad, we
(28:13):
talked a lot about that - response and young kids, not
being able to be prepared. They think all these people's
opinions matter and all of a sudden they're just inundated
with negatives, right? You highlight, you know, you
should show a highlight reel. If you make an interception will
Everyone's going to find out whothat quarterback was on the
other team and that kids going to get dogged in the comment
section. So like how do we continue to
(28:34):
use social media for fun for positive but like how do we
prepare the kids to deal with the, the negative and the
pressures and being in the public Spotlight, that is just
going to come with the territory.
Once you put yourself out there,when I would just try to prep
them on, just trying to stay focused on doing what they're
(28:54):
doing, because I feel like social media is good, but it's
like is also like you go up there and then you start
comparing yourself to others andit's in the Sports World, to you
see people doing really good andlike, they're scoring
touchdowns. Do you like, dang, I wish that
was me or whatever like that. So, it's just really just
focusing because it's like, Everything goes on the internet,
(29:19):
everything. Like, obviously in people of
high school, highlights of people getting smacked, and then
the thing is, like, they get hitand then those Pete, those kids,
see that highlight. And then they want to go to that
person that got hit going a pageand they try watching negative
comments and is that yo, like you can't even.
So you just gotta really like stay focused on what you're
(29:40):
doing and stuff. So now but it's tough.
That stuff that's stuff. I'm not gonna lie.
It's tough and Especially as a high school player or middle
school because social media is big now so they're so influenced
by stuff like that. So when you see comments like
that you're gonna want to be like dang like am I really trash
or in my really bad but you can't believe that you got to
(30:02):
stay true to yourselves, continue to knock all that
negativity out and just believe that it's a process plus
everyone gets hit, you know? I'm saying, everyone goes has
bad plays. He just yeah.
Social media is just kind of sucks when it comes to that.
Social media. And even at the professional
level, I mean, even at the highest of levels social media,
(30:22):
we've created such a highlight culture, right?
We see everyone either at their absolute best or at their
absolute worst. We never show we never post
videos of ourselves. We're all guilty of this, right?
We never post videos of ourselves making just an okay
play. No, you post the one hand, catch
you post the best player your day and then someone else who
(30:45):
wants to be a jerk, Jerk. They post you getting your ass
run over missing a block or dropping a ball, right?
So like the only have the two extremes and for adults and
people that are a little more accustomed to handling that we
all understand the worlds that were in and we understand how to
deal with it, where I see the concern is, you know, just
thinking about my own kids and their age groups being in middle
(31:06):
school. That's now all they know right
there. Judging I don't want them to
judge themselves by their best day or their worst day.
But unfortunately, the second Enter that Arena.
Those are the rules. Those are the rules that you're
asked to come by, and I just think it's super important that
people continue to show. Like, you are there's great,
(31:26):
there's great usage of the internet.
There's great usage of social media, if done correctly, if
done with the right perspective.So I think it's so important.
What you're doing is showing like, hey, we don't take
ourselves so serious every day, not everything's life and death.
Not everything's the end of the world, like we can use social
media as a fund Outlet to let people be themselves.
And take a break from what can be a very stressful daily life
(31:50):
existence, you know, now that's exactly.
True is crazy because especiallywith me making skits, you would
think in my head when I start it's like, oh, I'm just making
funny skits. But these funny skits are making
like a crazy positive impact on people like especially like when
it comes to like my YouTube channel.
Like these kids think, like these videos are the best thing
(32:13):
ever. And they're just like, yo, we
really love you like. Was the Press yesterday but I
came to watch your video and nowI'm like, you made me made my
day and stuff like that. Like, I've had one, dude, I made
one Tick Tock and like he was saying, like, he always comes
back to that video. When he feels sad, I'm just
like, yo, like you would think is not that big of a deal.
But it is like these videos are really making impacts and is a
(32:36):
positive impact that that. So, how long did you say like
and just take your YouTube page?Like how old or even take Tai
Chi, how old are Do you think the majority of your followers
are like, do you think mostly like high school and younger?
Like what do you think age groupmostly resonates with your
videos. Definitely Elementary School to
(32:56):
Middle School, really? For sure.
You too. I'm sure Mike.
You know what? I bet you my kids follow you.
I'm sure they do. If they don't, they are if they
don't, they will now. I appreciate that.
I appreciate that. But yeah, definitely Middle
School to Elementor Elementary to middle school.
(33:17):
And then when we go to Instagram, Tick, Tock i'j.
I get some high schoolers. Like, I'll go out.
They like, yo, I know you are. So I do get them high schoolers
and then obviously, when I go back to Charlotte, they know who
I am too as well, like doing so.That's all I'm saying.
I know my age group when it comes to this different social
media platforms. So like, the stuff I do on
YouTube, I won't put on Instagram because it's kind of
(33:39):
like it's kind of like it's funny.
I will say it's funny but I knowthe age.
If that's going to laugh at thatstuff.
Yeah. And then when it comes to
Instagram I have that more oldercrowd when he's high school to
college in a little bit older. So I only put post certain
videos of their and in Tick-Tockits kind of get the both Best of
(34:00):
Both Worlds. That's interesting.
For anyone who doesn't know. Can you explain your nickname?
Can you tell? Yeah, so my nickname is the
black Badger and so my nickname comes from you know, Tyrann
Mathieu. Yeah, so honey badgers.
Exactly the honey badger. So in high school I was I was
(34:24):
small. I was like 59 165 and I used to
have a black Mohawk and he during the college, like he was
one of the most one of the best.One of the only person I really
looked up in college football because he was like 59.
Yeah, when something. But this do was like playing,
like he was 65 250. Like he was, he was a beast and
(34:45):
not like being small. All and aggressive in high
school. I was like, yo like that's why I
want to style my play after. So like I used to have a picture
of him in my locker junior year and my boy Brad Cannon.
One day was just like yo what's up black Badger?
I was like I like that. So ever since then I took that
nickname until since junior highschool and like some people had
(35:07):
one point, like people didn't even know my real name.
They'll just grab your name. That's right.
No, my real name was Christian so that's awesome.
I just When it's the hopefully no one day I'm still hoping to
meet our own values because he'sbeen used part of that.
I'm sure at some point that's going to be me and I'm sure we
can make that happen at some point.
I'm sure he'd love to hear that he inspired you.
(35:28):
So last couple things that I'll let you go like what's next for
you? Like how far do you see yourself
taking this you know this this life on the internet this
content creation? Like what is the next step for
you? The next step for me, is acting
acting is a big party. It's crazy because I've got,
I've been acting for about two years now, and I got signed to
(35:51):
my acting agency due to social media.
And there is a girl that went tomy high school that saw what I
was doing. She was like, are you like
interested in acting, like be ontelevision.
I was like, yeah, like that's what I want to do.
So she let me do that. I got in contact with her agent
I did like a side piece like I read a script for her.
The agent, loved it and Things just took off from there.
(36:14):
I actually, I actually just got from back from Wilmington, North
Carolina, but I'm about to be ina huge feeds for yuge film.
That's coming out like in next year, or 2024, but yeah, I'm
already going. I'm not already, I've been so
basically, I've been into feature films, I've been in a
truest commercial that should come out sometime, and Dirt
(36:37):
Devil photo shoot. So, acting is where my
concentration is really at, because I just got Some from
entertaining people but I kind of want to be like that Jamie
Foxx, you know, II know, I can get into the game by being funny
but eventually I want to get serious and just be do anything,
you know. So acting is my thing.
I did some stand-up to that thatwas an experience.
(36:59):
All he did was that it went good.
Like a lot of people laugh, and it went really good.
So, and stand up every now and then but my focus right now
since I got that role, it's crazy because Or I got that
role. I was really thinking about
quitting acting. I really was thinking about, I
was talking to my boy and literally as I'm talking to him,
(37:20):
I get an email saying, I got a callback audition for this movie
and I was just like, you know, God is just tell me you'll stick
with it and things. Everything's going to be.
Alright. So that was my sign.
The fact that I got the role is a one liner but hey it's a
start. It all starts man.
Exactly. So I got that low roll.
Is a pretty big movie. Sanaa Lathan is going to be in
(37:41):
it. Wow, you Is a is a big one.
So I get some face time and everything, so I'm excited.
But let's start with something with me and I'm excited for my
future when it comes to acting for just think van and it all
started because you did a video on taking the garbage out.
When you boil, when you boil it all down one day when you're a
(38:02):
big actor, just say, hey, how did you get your start?
Well, do you remember the pandemic and 2020 hearing like
yeah, I remember that. Yeah, so I did a video on taking
the garbage out Out there going to like, what?
They see. They go, man.
You just the message is, you never know?
Yeah. You never know.
And awesome. I guess the biggest thing about
(38:23):
that too is like, I feel like a lot of people are always like,
they question if they should do something and I guess my big
thing with that just do it. Just do it.
If you have an idea, just do it because you really never know
what's going to come out of it. Like I didn't go into this
thinking I was going to be a full-time Creator.
I did it because I loved it and the blessings just came.
I find it. So if you have idea, just do it
(38:46):
because you never know what's going to come out of it.
That's awesome. Well, let everybody know how to
find you. How do for our listeners, they
are new to you their new. How do they find you?
How do they find all this content?
All this funny stuff that you'reable to make each day?
Yeah so you can find me on Facebook Tick-Tock, YouTube and
Instagram at the black Badger. Th ee black Badger.
(39:08):
I'm on all social media so you can find me on all that awesome.
Well man, cry. And I really appreciate you
joining us. I think this is super relevant.
I think social media whether people like it or not is
something we all are going to live with for the very the
foreseeable future. Our kids need to understand how
to navigate it they and you needto understand how to make you
know make use of it both good and avoid the negative.
(39:29):
So wish you nothing but success man.
I hope you have a great career will be following.
You keep making funny stuff. Keep being you and we appreciate
you joining us here on. You think not.
Thank you so much for having me.I really do appreciate it.
You got it. Good luck to you.
Thank you. I hope you guys enjoyed that
(39:50):
conversation with Christian really interesting, really
funny, creative smart kid. Really has made an unbelievable
transition from his time as a football player right here at
UNC Charlotte to now is a full-time, you know, internet
sensation, you know, his videos have gone viral.
He's just really a really sharp.Sharp Guy, funny smart.
(40:14):
It was a cool conversation. I think it was such a timely
conversation because so many of our kids No, my own get so much
of their information and so muchof their of their time from
social media and you know, there's good right there.
Are there made aware of certain things.
It's good. But there's also a lot of
negatives that come with and that's us as parents, that's our
job to continue to police and continue to monitor the
(40:35):
information that they're exposedto and the outlets on social
media that they're following. So it's a changing world, it's a
crazy world. It's not an easy time to raise a
young kid, but I thought Christian had some really good
Insight into what that world is like, you know, coming from
someone who lives it breathes itsleeps, it every single day of
his life. So we appreciate Christian for
(40:56):
joining us at this time. As we know, it's not only going
to be our fan questions with ourfan favorite Tosha.
But we're going to get a quick circuit.
The last two Syracuse. Orange updates not quite for the
first couple weeks. Not quite as good.
No, but they're hanging. We're hanging tough.
We're going to. We're going to.
We're going to turn it around. Yeah, we'll see what they do
this weekend but it was not not.They got this weekend.
(41:18):
We forced. I think we have pit looks like
a. All right, you can beat pay.
I know Notre Dame. Last week was tough.
Yeah, it was Tom. Tough coming off.
That Clemson game. Tough coming off.
That Clemson game. Yeah, it was a bummer but you
know what? It was Halloween weekend.
Maybe they had fun at Halloween.I'm not sure.
Did you guys do anything? Fun for Halloween.
You know we didn't do anything crazy.
(41:40):
We kids dressed up. My boys were Maverick and Goose
my daughter and a bunch of her friends were Eminem's.
Yeah. So we had When we went, we went
over one of our family friends house and the kids went
trick-or-treating and the adultskind of just hung out and made
sure they didn't eat the entire bag of candy in one sitting.
So, yeah, we had a kind of a low-key nothing.
Nothing too crazy. We're not huge Halloween people
(42:01):
in our house, but yeah, we have fun.
How about you did you dress up? I did.
I was, I was a painting. Oh, that's right.
We talked about this. You were a painting.
My boyfriend was a painter. How was the reception was a
pretty well received? You know, people actually
figured it out. I was surprised because as a
pretty, pretty, not great. But they figured it out so it
was good. I remember when you first told
me that story, I thought your boyfriend was actually a
(42:24):
painter. So, the way Tasha first told me
the story, she's like, well I'm going to be a painting, my
boyfriend's, a painter. So he painted a dress and I'm
going to walk around as a painting, but it's a horrible
painting. I was like, well, if your
boyfriend's at painter, you might not want to tell his
paintings sucker us. He's gotta get a new job and
you're like, oh no, he's not really a painter, he's the on
(42:44):
Halloween, the paint dries. Like oh, that makes a lot more
sense. I thought.
That was like his profession andhe was trying to show you off or
something. Yeah.
And then I just didn't like it. That'd be horrible.
Well, you're just shitting on his painting skills.
Oh my goodness. I'm glad to hear.
He's not an actual bad painter. So that works out.
He's doing so. Our first audience question for
today, is from Chloe from Instagram.
(43:06):
They say I played ice hockey at Harvard, but I'm struggling with
what to do next. So, what advice would you give
competitive? Athletes on how to find their
next move? Yeah, I think this is a
challenge that All, I think all people, but let alone athletes
really face and when you think about it, especially athletes
that play, you know, beyond HighSchool, right?
(43:27):
Where they have a college, some sort of college career or some
sort of time in playing professionally when it's your
eye, it's really your identity. Its what you've done, you've
poured your entire life into this and then at a very young
age, it's gone, right? It be and I tell people all the
time when you know, they talk about athletes.
I said, well, take of you went to school your whole life to be
(43:47):
a lawyer. Our, you went to all those years
of law school, you went through all that stuff.
And then all of a sudden at age 28, they said, hey now, you
can't be a lawyer anymore. You got to figure out something,
you've poured your whole life. You've poured your entire part
first, part of your adult, your adulthood into being something
that now you no longer can do, and it's not because you don't
want to, it's just, you can't doit anymore.
So, I think it's a real challenge that a lot of people
(44:09):
face specifically to what, to, what Chloe's asking, you know, I
think the key is, can you find something else that you truly
enjoy waking up? And it could be a hobby.
It could be, you know, volunteerism.
It could be something outside ofmaybe your job, right?
Of course you got to find a job that motivates you and whatnot,
but like, find something else inyour life that fills that
(44:29):
competitive spirit, that gives you something to work at
something to strive, for get, allows you to set certain goals.
And for some people, it comes through their work.
For some people, it comes outside of their work.
There's a lot of ways to find itbut something that someone told
me when I was transitioning frommy playing days now into TV is
like TVs, not Not going to give you that like competitive fire
(44:50):
that playing will. You're never going to feel that
completely, but find something else that motivates you to
improve at or to strive at or compete at because that at least
will satisfy that portion of youthat you've had your entire
life. So I guess I would say the same
thing to Chloe like it might notreplace what you've done your
whole life. It might not replace what you've
(45:11):
experienced at, Harvard and whatnot, but just try to fill
that bucket with something else.And I think you'll find that Can
be very, very satisfying. It can be very very fulfilling
but yeah, it's easier said than done.
Yeah, and a lot of people wrap their identity and it because
like you said it's not, it's notlike a lawyer where your, I
mean, studying when you're olderit's like you started when you
(45:32):
were five years old like this iswho you are.
It's got to be kind of dog. It's hard and we try to talk
with our kids about it. You know, I send my kids all the
time, I'm like, I know you like sports.
I know you like playing it. But like, this can't be who you
are and needs to be what you do.And I'm not saying you can't
pour your whole life into it andand time and it's really
something you want to do. Yeah go do it but it can't be
(45:52):
how you see yourself. It can't be your your full
identity. You have to have other Hobbies,
you have to have other interestsbecause no matter how good you
are. There is no one whose Sports
last their entire life. It's going to end.
It could end in middle school. Could end in high school could
end in college, but whatever it ends it ends and you got to be
happy, living the rest of your life.
(46:13):
And I think we have to do a better job as parents.
Teaching our kids to not wrap their entire identity in he or
she's pretty or she's particularsport but it's hard.
Yeah, well our next question is from Alex from Instagram.
She says how was your coaching changed since starting the
podcast? No, I I would like to think that
(46:36):
it's changed. I don't want to say a lot, but I
would, I would say it's fair to say it's changed to some
capacity. I find myself being a little bit
more reflective. Take a step back review.
All right, what do you think about practice?
What do you think about how you responded to this situation?
Or this parent or to this kid? Aren't you know, a lot of the
things that I've learned throughmy conversations?
(46:57):
Like, am I, if I haven't been doing it in the past, am I
making a conscious effort now todo it now?
And if I am doing Get now can I maintain it and keep going and
not get off path? So I find myself reflecting on a
lot of these conversations and making sure that I try to
implement a lot of it. A lot of things that maybe I
haven't done or things that I amdoing and just continue to
(47:18):
implement it with how I deal with parents, how to deal with
my own kids, how I deal with other people's kids that I coach
and and I don't always do it perfect.
There's times where I look back and I'm like hmm that's not what
I should have done but like my at the very minimum I'm aware of
it. And at the very minimum I'm
conscious of Shove it. Where if it if it's not perfect
and I have better tools, I have better ways.
(47:39):
Now to handle that situation better.
The next time it comes up, so I'll be, you know, the next time
it comes up like I hold myself. Say Hey, you can need you to
handle that a better way or handle that a certain way.
So I think this has been a greatexperience for me to just find,
you know, find ways to either improve find ways that validate
my Approach but also may be fine, open my eyes to maybe a
(47:59):
new vision, a new approach that maybe is in the best interest of
the kids. That's good.
Effectiveness the more, you know?
Yeah. Anyway I lost audience.
Question is, do you have any coaching, superstitions?
Um, no, not really not. I don't I don't.
What if you're not wearing a hat.
(48:23):
I always have a hat, I always wear a hat, I am a hat guy.
So maybe do like thinking about get ready for tonight's game,
right? So I started off the segment
with, you know, talking about tonight.
We have our championship game. Like, I'm not a big into, like,
what I wear my shoes, my hat like that.
But like, I do, want to make sure when I show up to the game,
I've personally as the adult andas one of the coaches, I've
(48:44):
thought through different scenarios.
I've thought through different situations.
I'm really confident what we want to do.
I'm confident in how we're goingto utilize the kids.
The other team might approach uslike and I obviously can't go
out on the field. I can't impact the game in that
capacity, but like, I feel like if I spend the time to prepare
and I spend the time to really have a good understanding, it
(49:05):
will allow me to better serve the kids once the game starts, I
know exactly how to react. I know exactly how to, what
adjustment based on what happensin the game.
I know what kids do. Well, I know what kids don't do.
Well, I have a plan of rotationsand depth charts and how to
handle playing time and all that.
So, The more prepared we are going into the game.
I think that allows you to make better decisions in real time
(49:27):
when the game unfolds. So to me that's my preparation.
That's my Superstition. Like am I going to be in a
position where I can do everything in my power to give
our kids a chance to have success not to win?
Can I if I can help our kids have success individually and
collectively will win. We'll win as a byproduct of
that. And I take that role.
(49:49):
Seriously, it's something I put a lot of time and thought and
and And effort into and then youjust let the game unfold and see
what happens. Well, that's it for all the fan
questions today, at keep submitting them at you think, or
at Greg Olsen on, either Tick, Tock, Instagram, or Twitter?
Well, thank you Tasha. As always and thank you guys all
(50:10):
so much for continuing to followalong on this journey here at
you think please continue to rate review.
Subscribe wherever you guys get your podcasts and we look
forward to seeing you guys next week here on you think.
Just think, man, it all started because you did a video on
(00:02):
taking the garbage out exactly. What's up everybody welcome back
to another episode here on. You think presented by Audio
Rama and our friends at body armor big day the day that I am
sitting here recording this We are getting ready for the city
(00:25):
championship in our Pop Warner football.
It's a huge day. We've been working on this since
got late, June early July, It's Been a Good Year, the kids have
gotten ton better, we had a lot of kids who had never even
played football before. So in that regard it's been a
huge success and tonight's the night, it's really cool.
The way they set it up. We're going to play at 7:00
(00:46):
under the lights at this place. Uptown Charlotte called Memorial
Stadium. It's a refurbished older stadium
that they To hold Major League lacrosse games.
They hold like big showcase highschool games at to start and end
each year. So it's a really cool facility.
Really cool venue have been there Bunch.
So we are going to be under the lights and I think the kids will
(01:10):
be a little amped up early. But we got a settlement.
We got to get ready and I'll tell you what I'm fired up.
I have to be honest, I've been thinking about this game now for
like 10 days. So fired up.
I will let you guys know how it goes on our next show, but just
be thinking of the South Charlotte Patriots, tonight,
(01:31):
big, big Showdown, verse the palPanther.
So we'll let you guys know how that goes today.
We have a really good show. Today's guest is Christian
Haynes, play football, do University of North Carolina in
Charlotte has an unbelievable online.
Social media presence. He's known as the black Badger
full-time content creator. He's been on SportsCenter bet.
(01:54):
The shade room MTV over 2 million subscribers on YouTube,
almost 2 million subscribers on Tick-Tock, which is wild.
So, it was really cool to talk to him, not only about his
transition from a college athlete and football player to a
full-time content creator. But just to get someone's
perspective of what life is likewhen you live full time on the
(02:16):
internet and your entire Life and presence is on social media,
The Good, The Bad, what he has seen.
As far as kids being able to leverage social media to improve
recruiting or awareness, scouting or whatever the case
may be. So it was a really fun
conversation. Great kid, what an unbelievable
personality. Super funny.
Super creative really enjoyed hanging out with him.
(02:37):
So hope you guys enjoy my conversation with Christian.
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(02:57):
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No artificial sweeteners and formore information, you can go to
drink body armor.com. So now please enjoy this
conversation with the black Badger Christian Haynes.
Christian man were pumped to have you guy right in our own
backyard and looking forward to chat with you.
(03:38):
Thanks for joining us on. You think?
Yeah, no problem, man. I'm excited.
I'm very excited. I haven't been on a podcast in
the wild so we too busy. You're too busy, making making
videos. I I've actually watched, I've
actually watched a bunch of yourvideos and dude, you're funny
like what, just where did it allcome from like, we're you always
the guy on the team, I've had a million teammates where you just
(04:01):
know like, all right, that's theguy, he's always.
And have something to say zones mean.
Fuck, was that always you from the time?
You can remember when you were young oh yeah. 100% of a lot of
it started just from just being young and like Elementary School
just being that class clown kindof guy.
But I was also about my grade soI wasn't like getting in
(04:21):
trouble. Nothing but I was funny when I
could be funny but also my dad Ithink a lot of his silliness and
funny ways has rubbed off on me and it's almost like, I'm almost
like a replica. Of him.
So I was just always that guy. But especially like when I
walked on the Charlotte and got really comfortable around the
guys, like it, when we are in that locker room, I'm always
(04:43):
like doing something like, acting out movie scenes or doing
something. Just make everyone laugh.
So it's kind of like in My DNA just to make people laugh.
Like one thing about me people is like they don't never know
when I'm serious because I'm always playing around but I just
always been like that. Yeah, well so take us back you
mentioned you know? This is kind of been your
personality. You mentioned your dad.
(05:05):
Give us a leidy. Obviously here and you think we
do? We tackle all aspects of the
Youth Sports. Seen what these young kids are
growing up, the environment, they're growing up in especially
with social media and we're going to, we're going to dive
into the social media transitionthat you made a few years back
into a full-time content creator.
But just tell us a little bit about growing up.
You mentioned you walked on and played at UNC Charlotte right
(05:25):
here. The 49ers eventually earned a
scholarship just what was your Youth Sports Experience?
Like you know growing up and what sports?
Were you exposed to what sports did you gravitate towards of
course football being what? You pursued in college?
Yeah, so starting when I was younger.
So my first sport ever played was tackle football and do flag
football. We went right into tackle and my
(05:47):
dad was actually my coach, but Ihave about, I have six brothers,
and three of them all went to goplay D1 football.
So it's kind of like football was just always in our family.
So I kind of want to like go andFootsteps, basically, so I
played football, literally, I played on a military base or the
(06:10):
actually, the 49ers, which is pretty ironic, because you go
the Charlotte 49ers. Yeah, I played little league and
then it's crazy. I went to middle school and that
was a time where like I was all good and middle, like, we're
playing little league. But when I got the Middle
School, like I didn't play at all.
So that was one thing. That motivated me going into
(06:31):
High School, Because that's whenI first started learning about
training and then I was just training daily.
All through high school, end up being all Conference in high
school. But sadly, you know, I didn't
get a scholarship maybe mainly due to like, you know, smaller
school and then I wasn't the biggest guy.
But after high school, I ended up walking onto actually,
(06:53):
Elizabeth City and, which is a D2 school and after that, that's
when I got the Charlotte, And then play ball from there.
So yeah, I actually walked on the two schools.
Look at that. I love a man and it all worked
out. You got your scholarship at
Charlotte it all worked out, take you mentioned yet.
There were six of you guys in three of them went on to play.
(07:15):
What did your father play? Like what what do you attribute?
The success that you and your brothers had like all the guys
going on to play football in college.
Like was it because of your dad's coaching?
Was it his background? Was it?
What you were exposed to? Just what do you think?
Is the reason why? So many of You had success to
move on 100% my dad, for real, my dad played football, he's
(07:38):
from Miami, so he played football in high school there
and I think he played cornerback.
So he tells me how like he has like ten interceptions when I'm
going to go to know, in high school.
You went to I thinking with them, man, it's crazy.
I literally know it answer. I was just curious.
There's some good bottom there. There's some good.
(08:00):
Did he go to a School or privateschool.
Yeah, he did, he did, he went tothe same High School Chad
Johnson went to. Yeah, there's so many there's so
many good Public Schools down there.
I mean you Miami Central and Columbus and there's a million
of them. Yeah, but yeah, it's a lot.
But yeah, so he played there in high school and then he didn't
(08:21):
want to play college ball or like he wanted to play college
ball yet a chance to but he wasn't really focused on school
as much, so that's when you wentto the military and then you
actually Play football in the military as well and then, you
know, a lot of his friends like we went back to Miami and they'd
be like oh man your dad was bad.You know how well your dad was
(08:42):
good and stuff like that, so he'll tell me the stories but
you know, when someone else tells you then his is different.
But yeah, my dad was really the main motivation for us all
playing ball and he, I know he coached me and my older brother
since we are like in Little League and then he coached my
youngest brother, To in Little League football.
(09:03):
So my little brother, he loved football.
If it's a high school and he waslike, God, I'm good.
What was his style was? He hard was the old school.
Was he like what was his style? Well, definitely strict an old
school. Yeah.
You know using a marine say okayI should say is every military
(09:23):
background. Exactly.
So it was like, everything was strict in order, but one thing I
did like when I play football, was that With my dad and when he
was my coach, I was able to callhim dad.
You know, sometimes it's like, oh, when I'm on the field, I'm
your coach. But I always said, Dad and he
had no problem with it, and I always, really, really like
that. Yeah, that's my dad was my high
(09:44):
school football coach to, for meand my brother.
So we used to call him dad. I I never could muster up
calling my dad coach, it just, it never felt right.
If other people didn't like it, that was tough.
So explain, you know, at what point was, you know, Social
media, you know, you kind of grew up in that era like at what
point was social media. Did it just enter into your
(10:06):
life, just for entertainment, fun.
Like what are your earliest memories as a young kid growing
up where you started to get thatitch to just kind of live and
kind of partake in that social media experiment you know
Twitter and then Instagram now more recently with Tick-Tock and
stuff. But how far does it go back?
Man. So I was watching this crazy.
I was watching YouTube skips, like in fifth grade when it was
(10:29):
kind of, like, I don't know. People are getting paid on it
then but I was watching YouTube's kids way back then and
just watching random stuff up there.
And as time went on, you know, Snapchat became a thing in high
school. So in high school, I would make
skits for Snapchat and people would see it on Snapchat, maybe
like, you know, you're like funny, like you should do
(10:51):
YouTube and stuff. I'm like, no, I'm To go, B. 1i
am worried about all that skit stuff.
I'm trying to get a scholarship.So as time goes on, when I get
to Charlotte I'm still doing skits.
But it's like for myself on Snapchat, I wasn't posting it
because I didn't I didn't think anyone cared and then eventually
(11:12):
I had a lot of people hit me up like yo you need to like, do you
to and stuff like that. He's actually one of my my exits
older sister that she would always post.
Tell me to do you YouTube and I was just like, yeah, maybe she's
like you like really entertaining.
You need to YouTube. So I did it my senior year of
college. I want to say, yeah, going into
(11:34):
my senior year of college at Charlotte.
I started YouTube page just to do it.
I was like, interviewing people and just doing it like that and
then eventually we got in seasonand I didn't want to like I was
focused on the season but then the pandemic hit and that's
where everything changed becauseI was bored.
I was in the house. I just got a technically laid
off my job. Because I was working at the gym
(11:56):
and then nothing was open. So I came back home to
Jacksonville. North Carolina was chilling.
People's on Tick-Tock. I was like, I might as well just
make something I made one skit about how it feels.
When you go take the garbage outand how someone's like, it feels
like someone's chasing you and then that thing blew up like
crazy. And my boy Ben DeLuca that play
(12:17):
with me at Charlotte. He was just like, yo, just keep
going. And I was like, I ain't, I mean,
I'm bored. So, I might as well and things
just took off and I'm having an interview with you now.
So tell me a little bit about somuch.
Of what we talk about here is, is kids preparing that sports
sports is an experience, right? So as a young kid, you grow up
Sports as your whole life, you grow up, you know, playing ball
(12:40):
whatnot, you eventually get to college, but then there's always
that pivot and it happens at different times for different
kids. Sometimes it's After High
School, Sometimes, some kids arefortunate to go to college, but
there's always that pivot, there's always a day where the,
what you've done your whole lifeand Sports ends and you need to
make that transition into something new.
So think back. So with pandemic, you'd always
(13:02):
kind of toyed with. It was always kind of secondary.
When you finally said, you know what I'm going, I'm going all
in, I'm going to be a content creator.
There's money to be made. I have a, I have a gift, I've
known for a long time. I like to entertain and make
people laugh, like, what was that pivot point in that
process? Like, looking back, when you had
to just say, hey I'm going all into something.
Is it scary? Is it exciting?
(13:23):
Is it It knew like what when youthink back to that, like what,
what do you remember? I just remember.
So one thing about me, a lot of how I move now is Du tout,
football was like how I reacted in football.
So one thing I have about my mentality is always being
consistent. And what I do, I've learned that
(13:45):
from football new, if I work consistently higher, I was going
to get better as a football player.
So now, I'm in a place where I'mgifted with something and now If
I continue to give by consistently work at it, I'm
just going to get better at it. So when I posted that first
video and it went viral, I was just like well I mean this is
fun. I didn't I didn't know anything
(14:06):
about no money involved. It.
I just thought it was funny. I was making people laugh.
So I was like, okay, I'm going to just do this.
So automatically, since from football, I was consistently
making videos every single day like every day, like it wasn't
like a chore or not. It was just fun to me.
So once I start doing that was Like, yo, I'm about to just keep
doing this, but then someone hitme up was like, hey, do you want
(14:29):
to do this ad for $80? It was like, 80 dollars.
That's a lot of money for it. So once I've noticed there was
like when's or money that comes with this, then I was like all
right let me let me really see what's what this is about.
So I kept doing that eventually.People from Tick Tock hit me up
for the partner with Pizza Hut and stuff like that.
(14:49):
So it was really like when When I first really got that $80, I
was like, okay this is could be like something serious.
So yeah, so for just humor me for a second, us old guys who
don't really understand, I mean,I'm on Instagram but like my
kids have Tick-Tock so they findout everything they know Dad.
Did you know that? I'm like, how weird you hear
(15:10):
that? I heard it on Tick Tock you
know, so I kind of roll my eyes like I'm now that old guy so
just assumed everyone listening to this is an old guy who
doesn't understand or old girl Iguess how does the idea of being
a full-time? All time content creator on
Tick-Tock on Instagram making videos on YouTube.
Like, we're how do you make a living, right?
You mentioned you work with Pizza Hut?
(15:30):
There's ads. But then like just explain all
the different ways that people like yourself, make a living
from being super funny and making entertaining videos on
the internet. Yeah, so just to start from I'ma
just tell you from my journey. Yeah, so first it was Tick-Tock.
So you're just one of the thingsthat makes me Marketable is that
(15:54):
I make funny clean. Relatable content that if your
kid saw my skit, he would go to you and show you and y'all both
laugh. It's not like, oh, you don't
need to be watching that. So I knew when I'm not a bit
cursor anyway, as a myself, but I knew that ok, I need to make
relatable content because this is what people are liking.
(16:14):
So once I kept doing that, I noticed the Brand's kept coming
in as in Pizza Hut I think orbit.
This is like These are big companies that are coming at me
early and they're, they're giving me like they start
talking thousands of dollars that I'm just like for fixing
second a minute video. So it's like now things are
changing so that became a norm for me.
(16:37):
So though the brands were coming, that's not as it can, it
can be like, you can have some months that are faster.
Some that are good, are some in months that are slow.
So that's when I started to transition and go to YouTube and
YouTube is the thing. It changed everything for me
because I brought my content from Tick Tock.
It just brought it to YouTube and YouTube.
(16:59):
Shorts is pretty big, which got me from.
I want to say, like, 1000 subs, two million in eight months.
Wow. And then after that, I start
making longer videos and that's when you can put the ads in
between and then your Revenue shoots up from there.
So I would say, definitely the brands are the big thing with
when it comes to Tick Tock but YouTube ad Revenue, that's my
(17:22):
Biggest stream of income. And that's how I really make a
living and then you get sponsorships within YouTube as
well as they see you grow. So, it's not, it's like, it's
not too complicated, but it's like it's crazy how stuff.
Like, I literally if people justsay I'm a comedy skit to make
you pay for them. They look at me crazy, but
(17:44):
that's just what it is. Hey, man, only in America, dude,
do you man? That's so, so now, I'm just a
mask. Like, there's always the the
yeah. The end is always the good and a
always comes with little bit of bad when you live your life on
the internet and obviously, you're putting yourself out
there. You're entertaining people.
Some people. I'm sure love every video.
I'm sure some people don't love every video, right?
(18:05):
There's always feedback the internet.
Sometimes has the worst humans on the planet that live there.
That's something that these young kids now, are growing up
and I even can see it in little glimpses with my young kids wear
that. How many likes did you get, Dad?
What did the comments say? Like they're so worried about
the feedback from strangers likeas someone who lives in that
(18:26):
world every single day and I'm sure you get great feedback and
I'm sure there's some - because let's be honest, it's the
internet, how do you deal with it?
And at the same time like what would be your message to other
young kids that are listening tothis?
Who also, you know, are putting their life out there.
Are putting videos trying to getrecruited and have to deal with
negative feedback on the internet.
(18:47):
Maybe at a, you know, middle school, high school at a young
age, the best thing with me cuz I get it all the time.
It's like I feel like Regardlessof what you do in life,
someone's going to always have something to say it don't
matter. You could be feeding every
homeless person in the world, and sewing going to have
(19:07):
something negative to say. All you got to do is just
worried about what you want to do and how you can make a
positive impact on others. I, you really just gotta ignore
the outside noise because a lot of those times when you're doing
something good, those people that are hating on you or Sansa
and crazy, they want to do what you're doing and they, they can
hit jealous, you know? So really just Stay in your lane
(19:30):
stay focused and don't let that negativity get to you because
I'm not gonna lie, I'm human. You know, I've been in
situations where someone's comment and you know I would say
something slick, nothing crazy but I would say something slick
to be funny because they don't expect me to say anything.
But for the most part, I ignore it all because it I mean it is
what it is. People are always going to have
something to say regardless of what you do.
(19:50):
So you just got to stay focused in your lane and keep doing what
you're doing because it's like it's always a small percentage
of the way. They're hating over the all the
other people that love which youdo so and it can it can get you
kind of off track sometimes, butyou guys stay focused.
It's something I say to my kids.All the time is you got to know
(20:10):
whose opinion matters, right? We don't want to block
everybody's opinion out because then you're closing your ears
and your and you're not being open to feedback and honesty and
truthfulness. So you don't want to live your
life that way either, whose opinion, do you care about?
Like when you get feedback on your videos or you get feedback
on on different You're differentideas that you might have.
Like do you have a little circleand your family is you have a
(20:33):
close group of friends, like other people whose opinion that
they can call you and say, hey man, that's not funny.
That's really good. Do more of that, and you won't
take it personal, but like thesepeople's opinions matter to you
like, who are those people? Oh, definitely.
I definitely have a group. So small, though, I don't like
go out till everyone but definitely my my girlfriend's
(20:53):
one of them for sure. Because I just let her to keep
her. You gotta keep her head.
You gotta keep your heavily. My boy looked on from high
school. We went to school together and
he's super funny. Do like weird.
Such are like on the same mindset when it comes to
funniness. It's always like if I'm unsure
about certain, I sent it to him,make sure if he thinks his party
(21:15):
of this party, that I'm good to go.
And usually my boy Darrell. He's also another successful
YouTuber and content creator. And I like, sending up those are
main three, like, people that I send stuff to And sometimes I
showed my parents age of anything I post.
They laugh. So that's why I just I go to
them sometimes but anything I post may think it's funny most
(21:36):
likely. But yeah.
Usually my girlfriend with or onand my boy Darryl that I usually
show them my stuff. This just to make sure if I'm on
my knees if I think it's funny or not.
So so tell us a little bit aboutyour creative process.
So and when you're thinking about, you know, making new
skits, obviously I've been on your page, I've watched a lot of
your videos. I you have, you have certain
(21:57):
common Um, certain ones that arekind of one-offs like, what does
the creative process look like to you, from the moment, you
have an idea or concept to its actually posted and, and put up
on all your channels. So, honestly, I get in the
shower, it's like, I'm the one. It's so crazy people.
Ask is all the time, too. So I'm just like, I really just
(22:20):
be chilling. Sometimes in like, ideas, just
come to mind or like, I'll be ina situation where something
funny to happen. And I just play man, that would
be a funny skit. So like honestly like the skit
will come to mind and then I'll go on my notes which I have like
notes and notes of Skips that I still haven't done to this day
and then I put like, put it downjust to remind me.
(22:43):
So I'll be like, okay next week I'm gonna do this.
So I like set up my schedule as and I'll do like two or three
reels a week. Have the idea.
Usually use the green screen or Mylene ring lights, and then
just shoot it. But But other than that, when it
comes to, like, coming up with ideas, I'm telling you, I just
be chillin, I Don't Force It. The only time I got a force
(23:04):
ideas when I have to do a brand and I got to be like, okay, let
me see how I can put the brand in this funny skit and make it a
marketable and everything like that.
But other than that, when it comes to the stuff on my page,
it's like there's a lot of his stuff I experienced or is just
funny ideas that come in by mine.
I'll be like yeah, this would befunny.
So I'm gonna just do it when they put you on the spot though
(23:25):
and they're like, hey, here's a couple bucks, goby.
You're like, I think that I think that scene from Wedding
Crashers, where like that littlekid wants Vince Vaughn to make
them a bite he's like make me a bicycle clown.
It's like what am I here to hide?
And I always think of that like every time with someone like hey
just be funny like you ever get annoyed you ever get tired of
everyone just saying like hey man Christian just just be funny
(23:46):
man. Just like you're at a party.
You're out with some buddies. I gave her like yeah.
Is I'm sure that gets annoying when you're the funny guy.
Everyone thinks you always got to be the funny guy.
No. Yeah, that's true.
It's funny. I went to go speak to his one
high school and some kale. He's like, so, you're funny.
Tell a joke. What you mean?
I mean, it would naturally come out, but I'm not about to stand
(24:08):
up or something that's great. So, may I ask another thing
again because you live in this space every single day.
We see so many kids right now, especially on Instagram, they're
posting highlight videos to YouTube.
We've kind of created this like highlight reel culture, it's how
kids are getting recruited, it'show kids are making showcase
teams. And Case camps.
(24:29):
Like what are you seeing out there?
Let's start with the positives. Like what are you seeing out
there right now? That young kids, just having a
knack for understanding social media and how to use it, to
their advantage. What do you see, young, you
know, middle school, high schoolkids doing through social media
especially in the sports world. That's really allowed them to be
seen by more people. Maybe get scholarships get on
(24:51):
college campuses. I got what are you?
What are you seeing as someone who lives in that every day?
So personally me, I know, like because I graduated high school
in 2015. So social media was big like
Twitter. I just got on Twitter around
that time, but now that it's involved so much, I'm seeing
kids post their highlights like going Tick-Tock Instagram now
(25:15):
and a big thing, like, on Twitter, when a coach post
something like all you see in the Commons is huddle.
I like links now. Yep, and I'm like, yo, this is
like we were I don't at least. Armand, time.
I don't remember doing that because I made a Twitter for
recruiting, but I didn't know, like to comment on coaches
stuff. But that's all I see.
Now is, like, they're trying to get the exposure and I mean, I
(25:37):
don't blame them because that's what, if you want to get
noticed, you gotta do what you gotta do.
So that's one of the things, like I feel like these, like
they're persistent, you know, they're, they're looking at
other ways, they're finding other ways and they have the
internet to figure out new ways to get noticed.
So that's one thing is like being under coaches.
Post and just commenting and DM in them and just not being
(25:59):
afraid. Like, I was emailing back when I
was in high school trying to email coaches, not even using
social media but everyone's on social media now.
So that's one. Thing about kids today, they'll
be persistent with that. Well, I want up here, when I was
coming out the way you got coaches to see, is your coach
would make like a VHS. You even know what a VHS tape
is. Yeah, never seen a VHS tape but
(26:24):
you know, so no we didn't even have Digital.
Like there was no like digital way to have our games.
They were on like VHS tapes, andthen you'd sit there with the
Dual vcr and my dad would sit there and hit you.
No cop, you know, record stop play and he would splice up the
reels and then you'd pack it you'd make a million copies and
you package them and you drop ship them to coaches around the
country, hope they got it. Hope they put it into their vcr
(26:47):
and watch the film. Like when I was coming out, that
was the only way. So it's so funny because I
noticed that too. I follow a bunch of different
college coaches guys that I've worked with, guys that I just
know. No or fans of and it's so true.
They could post like hey excitedfor spring ball, you know, come
on out wherever and then you're right.
If you click on that and you to see all the comments, it's just
(27:08):
a high school, kid parent of a high school kid, high school
kid, and it's just hot. For anyone who doesn't know
huddle is like an online like cloud in essence, like a cloud
service online that you can likeupload highlights and plays and
games. And then it's as simple as a
coach just clicking on the link and they can watch your Watch
your video from their phone so it's just funny your you
(27:29):
emailed. I drop ship VCR files cassettes
and now kids can literally just from their phone send Daddy you
know send it to Yammer comment on an inch on a Twitter post and
any coach in the country can watch their highlight film.
It's just to me. The whole thing is just so
bizarre. Yeah times man is changed for
All Our Generations. Yeah.
(27:51):
Yeah. What?
What? Pitfalls now again let's let's
flip it on its head. We got middle school kids?
We got especially high school kids.
Every play they've ever made is now on social media.
They've opened this whole door where it's hey I make them.
I'm putting myself out there because I want all the good.
Well, as we know sometimes with the good comes the bad, we
(28:13):
talked a lot about that - response and young kids, not
being able to be prepared. They think all these people's
opinions matter and all of a sudden they're just inundated
with negatives, right? You highlight, you know, you
should show a highlight reel. If you make an interception will
Everyone's going to find out whothat quarterback was on the
other team and that kids going to get dogged in the comment
section. So like how do we continue to
(28:34):
use social media for fun for positive but like how do we
prepare the kids to deal with the, the negative and the
pressures and being in the public Spotlight, that is just
going to come with the territory.
Once you put yourself out there,when I would just try to prep
them on, just trying to stay focused on doing what they're
(28:54):
doing, because I feel like social media is good, but it's
like is also like you go up there and then you start
comparing yourself to others andit's in the Sports World, to you
see people doing really good andlike, they're scoring
touchdowns. Do you like, dang, I wish that
was me or whatever like that. So, it's just really just
focusing because it's like, Everything goes on the internet,
(29:19):
everything. Like, obviously in people of
high school, highlights of people getting smacked, and then
the thing is, like, they get hitand then those Pete, those kids,
see that highlight. And then they want to go to that
person that got hit going a pageand they try watching negative
comments and is that yo, like you can't even.
So you just gotta really like stay focused on what you're
(29:40):
doing and stuff. So now but it's tough.
That stuff that's stuff. I'm not gonna lie.
It's tough and Especially as a high school player or middle
school because social media is big now so they're so influenced
by stuff like that. So when you see comments like
that you're gonna want to be like dang like am I really trash
or in my really bad but you can't believe that you got to
(30:02):
stay true to yourselves, continue to knock all that
negativity out and just believe that it's a process plus
everyone gets hit, you know? I'm saying, everyone goes has
bad plays. He just yeah.
Social media is just kind of sucks when it comes to that.
Social media. And even at the professional
level, I mean, even at the highest of levels social media,
(30:22):
we've created such a highlight culture, right?
We see everyone either at their absolute best or at their
absolute worst. We never show we never post
videos of ourselves. We're all guilty of this, right?
We never post videos of ourselves making just an okay
play. No, you post the one hand, catch
you post the best player your day and then someone else who
(30:45):
wants to be a jerk, Jerk. They post you getting your ass
run over missing a block or dropping a ball, right?
So like the only have the two extremes and for adults and
people that are a little more accustomed to handling that we
all understand the worlds that were in and we understand how to
deal with it, where I see the concern is, you know, just
thinking about my own kids and their age groups being in middle
(31:06):
school. That's now all they know right
there. Judging I don't want them to
judge themselves by their best day or their worst day.
But unfortunately, the second Enter that Arena.
Those are the rules. Those are the rules that you're
asked to come by, and I just think it's super important that
people continue to show. Like, you are there's great,
(31:26):
there's great usage of the internet.
There's great usage of social media, if done correctly, if
done with the right perspective.So I think it's so important.
What you're doing is showing like, hey, we don't take
ourselves so serious every day, not everything's life and death.
Not everything's the end of the world, like we can use social
media as a fund Outlet to let people be themselves.
And take a break from what can be a very stressful daily life
(31:50):
existence, you know, now that's exactly.
True is crazy because especiallywith me making skits, you would
think in my head when I start it's like, oh, I'm just making
funny skits. But these funny skits are making
like a crazy positive impact on people like especially like when
it comes to like my YouTube channel.
Like these kids think, like these videos are the best thing
(32:13):
ever. And they're just like, yo, we
really love you like. Was the Press yesterday but I
came to watch your video and nowI'm like, you made me made my
day and stuff like that. Like, I've had one, dude, I made
one Tick Tock and like he was saying, like, he always comes
back to that video. When he feels sad, I'm just
like, yo, like you would think is not that big of a deal.
But it is like these videos are really making impacts and is a
(32:36):
positive impact that that. So, how long did you say like
and just take your YouTube page?Like how old or even take Tai
Chi, how old are Do you think the majority of your followers
are like, do you think mostly like high school and younger?
Like what do you think age groupmostly resonates with your
videos. Definitely Elementary School to
(32:56):
Middle School, really? For sure.
You too. I'm sure Mike.
You know what? I bet you my kids follow you.
I'm sure they do. If they don't, they are if they
don't, they will now. I appreciate that.
I appreciate that. But yeah, definitely Middle
School to Elementor Elementary to middle school.
(33:17):
And then when we go to Instagram, Tick, Tock i'j.
I get some high schoolers. Like, I'll go out.
They like, yo, I know you are. So I do get them high schoolers
and then obviously, when I go back to Charlotte, they know who
I am too as well, like doing so.That's all I'm saying.
I know my age group when it comes to this different social
media platforms. So like, the stuff I do on
YouTube, I won't put on Instagram because it's kind of
(33:39):
like it's kind of like it's funny.
I will say it's funny but I knowthe age.
If that's going to laugh at thatstuff.
Yeah. And then when it comes to
Instagram I have that more oldercrowd when he's high school to
college in a little bit older. So I only put post certain
videos of their and in Tick-Tockits kind of get the both Best of
(34:00):
Both Worlds. That's interesting.
For anyone who doesn't know. Can you explain your nickname?
Can you tell? Yeah, so my nickname is the
black Badger and so my nickname comes from you know, Tyrann
Mathieu. Yeah, so honey badgers.
Exactly the honey badger. So in high school I was I was
(34:24):
small. I was like 59 165 and I used to
have a black Mohawk and he during the college, like he was
one of the most one of the best.One of the only person I really
looked up in college football because he was like 59.
Yeah, when something. But this do was like playing,
like he was 65 250. Like he was, he was a beast and
(34:45):
not like being small. All and aggressive in high
school. I was like, yo like that's why I
want to style my play after. So like I used to have a picture
of him in my locker junior year and my boy Brad Cannon.
One day was just like yo what's up black Badger?
I was like I like that. So ever since then I took that
nickname until since junior highschool and like some people had
(35:07):
one point, like people didn't even know my real name.
They'll just grab your name. That's right.
No, my real name was Christian so that's awesome.
I just When it's the hopefully no one day I'm still hoping to
meet our own values because he'sbeen used part of that.
I'm sure at some point that's going to be me and I'm sure we
can make that happen at some point.
I'm sure he'd love to hear that he inspired you.
(35:28):
So last couple things that I'll let you go like what's next for
you? Like how far do you see yourself
taking this you know this this life on the internet this
content creation? Like what is the next step for
you? The next step for me, is acting
acting is a big party. It's crazy because I've got,
I've been acting for about two years now, and I got signed to
(35:51):
my acting agency due to social media.
And there is a girl that went tomy high school that saw what I
was doing. She was like, are you like
interested in acting, like be ontelevision.
I was like, yeah, like that's what I want to do.
So she let me do that. I got in contact with her agent
I did like a side piece like I read a script for her.
The agent, loved it and Things just took off from there.
(36:14):
I actually, I actually just got from back from Wilmington, North
Carolina, but I'm about to be ina huge feeds for yuge film.
That's coming out like in next year, or 2024, but yeah, I'm
already going. I'm not already, I've been so
basically, I've been into feature films, I've been in a
truest commercial that should come out sometime, and Dirt
(36:37):
Devil photo shoot. So, acting is where my
concentration is really at, because I just got Some from
entertaining people but I kind of want to be like that Jamie
Foxx, you know, II know, I can get into the game by being funny
but eventually I want to get serious and just be do anything,
you know. So acting is my thing.
I did some stand-up to that thatwas an experience.
(36:59):
All he did was that it went good.
Like a lot of people laugh, and it went really good.
So, and stand up every now and then but my focus right now
since I got that role, it's crazy because Or I got that
role. I was really thinking about
quitting acting. I really was thinking about, I
was talking to my boy and literally as I'm talking to him,
(37:20):
I get an email saying, I got a callback audition for this movie
and I was just like, you know, God is just tell me you'll stick
with it and things. Everything's going to be.
Alright. So that was my sign.
The fact that I got the role is a one liner but hey it's a
start. It all starts man.
Exactly. So I got that low roll.
Is a pretty big movie. Sanaa Lathan is going to be in
(37:41):
it. Wow, you Is a is a big one.
So I get some face time and everything, so I'm excited.
But let's start with something with me and I'm excited for my
future when it comes to acting for just think van and it all
started because you did a video on taking the garbage out.
When you boil, when you boil it all down one day when you're a
(38:02):
big actor, just say, hey, how did you get your start?
Well, do you remember the pandemic and 2020 hearing like
yeah, I remember that. Yeah, so I did a video on taking
the garbage out Out there going to like, what?
They see. They go, man.
You just the message is, you never know?
Yeah. You never know.
And awesome. I guess the biggest thing about
(38:23):
that too is like, I feel like a lot of people are always like,
they question if they should do something and I guess my big
thing with that just do it. Just do it.
If you have an idea, just do it because you really never know
what's going to come out of it. Like I didn't go into this
thinking I was going to be a full-time Creator.
I did it because I loved it and the blessings just came.
I find it. So if you have idea, just do it
(38:46):
because you never know what's going to come out of it.
That's awesome. Well, let everybody know how to
find you. How do for our listeners, they
are new to you their new. How do they find you?
How do they find all this content?
All this funny stuff that you'reable to make each day?
Yeah so you can find me on Facebook Tick-Tock, YouTube and
Instagram at the black Badger. Th ee black Badger.
(39:08):
I'm on all social media so you can find me on all that awesome.
Well man, cry. And I really appreciate you
joining us. I think this is super relevant.
I think social media whether people like it or not is
something we all are going to live with for the very the
foreseeable future. Our kids need to understand how
to navigate it they and you needto understand how to make you
know make use of it both good and avoid the negative.
(39:29):
So wish you nothing but success man.
I hope you have a great career will be following.
You keep making funny stuff. Keep being you and we appreciate
you joining us here on. You think not.
Thank you so much for having me.I really do appreciate it.
You got it. Good luck to you.
Thank you. I hope you guys enjoyed that
(39:50):
conversation with Christian really interesting, really
funny, creative smart kid. Really has made an unbelievable
transition from his time as a football player right here at
UNC Charlotte to now is a full-time, you know, internet
sensation, you know, his videos have gone viral.
He's just really a really sharp.Sharp Guy, funny smart.
(40:14):
It was a cool conversation. I think it was such a timely
conversation because so many of our kids No, my own get so much
of their information and so muchof their of their time from
social media and you know, there's good right there.
Are there made aware of certain things.
It's good. But there's also a lot of
negatives that come with and that's us as parents, that's our
job to continue to police and continue to monitor the
(40:35):
information that they're exposedto and the outlets on social
media that they're following. So it's a changing world, it's a
crazy world. It's not an easy time to raise a
young kid, but I thought Christian had some really good
Insight into what that world is like, you know, coming from
someone who lives it breathes itsleeps, it every single day of
his life. So we appreciate Christian for
(40:56):
joining us at this time. As we know, it's not only going
to be our fan questions with ourfan favorite Tosha.
But we're going to get a quick circuit.
The last two Syracuse. Orange updates not quite for the
first couple weeks. Not quite as good.
No, but they're hanging. We're hanging tough.
We're going to. We're going to.
We're going to turn it around. Yeah, we'll see what they do
this weekend but it was not not.They got this weekend.
(41:18):
We forced. I think we have pit looks like
a. All right, you can beat pay.
I know Notre Dame. Last week was tough.
Yeah, it was Tom. Tough coming off.
That Clemson game. Tough coming off.
That Clemson game. Yeah, it was a bummer but you
know what? It was Halloween weekend.
Maybe they had fun at Halloween.I'm not sure.
Did you guys do anything? Fun for Halloween.
You know we didn't do anything crazy.
(41:40):
We kids dressed up. My boys were Maverick and Goose
my daughter and a bunch of her friends were Eminem's.
Yeah. So we had When we went, we went
over one of our family friends house and the kids went
trick-or-treating and the adultskind of just hung out and made
sure they didn't eat the entire bag of candy in one sitting.
So, yeah, we had a kind of a low-key nothing.
Nothing too crazy. We're not huge Halloween people
(42:01):
in our house, but yeah, we have fun.
How about you did you dress up? I did.
I was, I was a painting. Oh, that's right.
We talked about this. You were a painting.
My boyfriend was a painter. How was the reception was a
pretty well received? You know, people actually
figured it out. I was surprised because as a
pretty, pretty, not great. But they figured it out so it
was good. I remember when you first told
me that story, I thought your boyfriend was actually a
(42:24):
painter. So, the way Tasha first told me
the story, she's like, well I'm going to be a painting, my
boyfriend's, a painter. So he painted a dress and I'm
going to walk around as a painting, but it's a horrible
painting. I was like, well, if your
boyfriend's at painter, you might not want to tell his
paintings sucker us. He's gotta get a new job and
you're like, oh no, he's not really a painter, he's the on
(42:44):
Halloween, the paint dries. Like oh, that makes a lot more
sense. I thought.
That was like his profession andhe was trying to show you off or
something. Yeah.
And then I just didn't like it. That'd be horrible.
Well, you're just shitting on his painting skills.
Oh my goodness. I'm glad to hear.
He's not an actual bad painter. So that works out.
He's doing so. Our first audience question for
today, is from Chloe from Instagram.
(43:06):
They say I played ice hockey at Harvard, but I'm struggling with
what to do next. So, what advice would you give
competitive? Athletes on how to find their
next move? Yeah, I think this is a
challenge that All, I think all people, but let alone athletes
really face and when you think about it, especially athletes
that play, you know, beyond HighSchool, right?
(43:27):
Where they have a college, some sort of college career or some
sort of time in playing professionally when it's your
eye, it's really your identity. Its what you've done, you've
poured your entire life into this and then at a very young
age, it's gone, right? It be and I tell people all the
time when you know, they talk about athletes.
I said, well, take of you went to school your whole life to be
(43:47):
a lawyer. Our, you went to all those years
of law school, you went through all that stuff.
And then all of a sudden at age 28, they said, hey now, you
can't be a lawyer anymore. You got to figure out something,
you've poured your whole life. You've poured your entire part
first, part of your adult, your adulthood into being something
that now you no longer can do, and it's not because you don't
want to, it's just, you can't doit anymore.
So, I think it's a real challenge that a lot of people
(44:09):
face specifically to what, to, what Chloe's asking, you know, I
think the key is, can you find something else that you truly
enjoy waking up? And it could be a hobby.
It could be, you know, volunteerism.
It could be something outside ofmaybe your job, right?
Of course you got to find a job that motivates you and whatnot,
but like, find something else inyour life that fills that
(44:29):
competitive spirit, that gives you something to work at
something to strive, for get, allows you to set certain goals.
And for some people, it comes through their work.
For some people, it comes outside of their work.
There's a lot of ways to find itbut something that someone told
me when I was transitioning frommy playing days now into TV is
like TVs, not Not going to give you that like competitive fire
(44:50):
that playing will. You're never going to feel that
completely, but find something else that motivates you to
improve at or to strive at or compete at because that at least
will satisfy that portion of youthat you've had your entire
life. So I guess I would say the same
thing to Chloe like it might notreplace what you've done your
whole life. It might not replace what you've
(45:11):
experienced at, Harvard and whatnot, but just try to fill
that bucket with something else.And I think you'll find that Can
be very, very satisfying. It can be very very fulfilling
but yeah, it's easier said than done.
Yeah, and a lot of people wrap their identity and it because
like you said it's not, it's notlike a lawyer where your, I
mean, studying when you're olderit's like you started when you
(45:32):
were five years old like this iswho you are.
It's got to be kind of dog. It's hard and we try to talk
with our kids about it. You know, I send my kids all the
time, I'm like, I know you like sports.
I know you like playing it. But like, this can't be who you
are and needs to be what you do.And I'm not saying you can't
pour your whole life into it andand time and it's really
something you want to do. Yeah go do it but it can't be
(45:52):
how you see yourself. It can't be your your full
identity. You have to have other Hobbies,
you have to have other interestsbecause no matter how good you
are. There is no one whose Sports
last their entire life. It's going to end.
It could end in middle school. Could end in high school could
end in college, but whatever it ends it ends and you got to be
happy, living the rest of your life.
(46:13):
And I think we have to do a better job as parents.
Teaching our kids to not wrap their entire identity in he or
she's pretty or she's particularsport but it's hard.
Yeah, well our next question is from Alex from Instagram.
She says how was your coaching changed since starting the
podcast? No, I I would like to think that
(46:36):
it's changed. I don't want to say a lot, but I
would, I would say it's fair to say it's changed to some
capacity. I find myself being a little bit
more reflective. Take a step back review.
All right, what do you think about practice?
What do you think about how you responded to this situation?
Or this parent or to this kid? Aren't you know, a lot of the
things that I've learned throughmy conversations?
(46:57):
Like, am I, if I haven't been doing it in the past, am I
making a conscious effort now todo it now?
And if I am doing Get now can I maintain it and keep going and
not get off path? So I find myself reflecting on a
lot of these conversations and making sure that I try to
implement a lot of it. A lot of things that maybe I
haven't done or things that I amdoing and just continue to
(47:18):
implement it with how I deal with parents, how to deal with
my own kids, how I deal with other people's kids that I coach
and and I don't always do it perfect.
There's times where I look back and I'm like hmm that's not what
I should have done but like my at the very minimum I'm aware of
it. And at the very minimum I'm
conscious of Shove it. Where if it if it's not perfect
and I have better tools, I have better ways.
(47:39):
Now to handle that situation better.
The next time it comes up, so I'll be, you know, the next time
it comes up like I hold myself. Say Hey, you can need you to
handle that a better way or handle that a certain way.
So I think this has been a greatexperience for me to just find,
you know, find ways to either improve find ways that validate
my Approach but also may be fine, open my eyes to maybe a
(47:59):
new vision, a new approach that maybe is in the best interest of
the kids. That's good.
Effectiveness the more, you know?
Yeah. Anyway I lost audience.
Question is, do you have any coaching, superstitions?
Um, no, not really not. I don't I don't.
What if you're not wearing a hat.
(48:23):
I always have a hat, I always wear a hat, I am a hat guy.
So maybe do like thinking about get ready for tonight's game,
right? So I started off the segment
with, you know, talking about tonight.
We have our championship game. Like, I'm not a big into, like,
what I wear my shoes, my hat like that.
But like, I do, want to make sure when I show up to the game,
I've personally as the adult andas one of the coaches, I've
(48:44):
thought through different scenarios.
I've thought through different situations.
I'm really confident what we want to do.
I'm confident in how we're goingto utilize the kids.
The other team might approach uslike and I obviously can't go
out on the field. I can't impact the game in that
capacity, but like, I feel like if I spend the time to prepare
and I spend the time to really have a good understanding, it
(49:05):
will allow me to better serve the kids once the game starts, I
know exactly how to react. I know exactly how to, what
adjustment based on what happensin the game.
I know what kids do. Well, I know what kids don't do.
Well, I have a plan of rotationsand depth charts and how to
handle playing time and all that.
So, The more prepared we are going into the game.
I think that allows you to make better decisions in real time
(49:27):
when the game unfolds. So to me that's my preparation.
That's my Superstition. Like am I going to be in a
position where I can do everything in my power to give
our kids a chance to have success not to win?
Can I if I can help our kids have success individually and
collectively will win. We'll win as a byproduct of
that. And I take that role.
(49:49):
Seriously, it's something I put a lot of time and thought and
and And effort into and then youjust let the game unfold and see
what happens. Well, that's it for all the fan
questions today, at keep submitting them at you think, or
at Greg Olsen on, either Tick, Tock, Instagram, or Twitter?
Well, thank you Tasha. As always and thank you guys all
(50:10):
so much for continuing to followalong on this journey here at
you think please continue to rate review.
Subscribe wherever you guys get your podcasts and we look
forward to seeing you guys next week here on you think.
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